List Price: $599
Your Price: SOLD!!!$389 Shipped CONUS (35% Savings)
VAC-1 Power Supply
List Price: $179
Your Price: SOLD!!!$116 Shipped CONUS (35% Savings)
SOLD!!!$499 for the Pair! (Extra $5 off)
See
http://gallery.me.com/mitchewd#100012 for more photos and also check out my sale of the well-reviewed HPA-1 and VAC-1 Combo in Amplification Components!
Information on the Pair:
Recipient of the ToneAudio Magazine Exceptional Value Award: 2008
Slbenz on Epinions.com said: "If you are wondering, how did the CIA VDA-2 DAC compare to the Benchmark DAC1? As is, with the stock power supply, the CIA DAC is similar in performance to the Benchmark. But I was able to try it with the VAC-1 power supply that is supposed to give better bass and dynamics to the CIA DAC which I found was true. With the VAC-1 and its larger power supply, it transformed the CIA VDA-2 into even a better DAC which outperformed the Benchmark overall. I would say the addition of the VAC-1 increased the performance of the VDA-2 by 15-20%."
(Previous incarnation - the VDA-1: Stereotimes said "Add the VAC-1, and you find yourself with one of the best digital bargains out there today, to these ears. This combo is musically involving and, depending on your hot buttons and biases, will give the likes of the entry Assemblage DAC 2.6 and MSB Link DAC III some stiff competition, besting each in a number of categories." (
http://www.stereotimes.com/acc010603.shtml); 5 5-Star reviews on Audioreview.com)
(From the CI-Audio Product Page)
"[The VDA-2] uses only a mild "slow roll-off" digital filter and first order analog filter to tame the sampling noise. This architecture has reduced filtering artifacts compared to brick-wall types, and lower sampling noise than filterless types, resulting in a more "analog" sound."
"Digital input signals are accepted by Toslink optical or coaxial SPDIF, then fed to the CS8416 24 bit/192k low jitter input receiver, then to the Burr Brown PCM1794 balanced/current output DAC. Our unique output stage is a fully discrete/zero feedback design and uses only a single transistor per output to insure the purity of the audio signal. Circuit board is high quality gold-plated 2 oz. copper with lead-free silver solder construction. Input selection and digital domain phase are selected by convenient front panel switches, and an LED indicates "LOCK" when a valid signal is being received. The output arrangement allows for 2 pair of single-ended connections or a single pair of balanced outputs (with optional VRX•1 cable pair)."
SPECIFICATIONS:
Inputs: Toslink Optical, Coaxial SPDIF
Locking Frequencies: 44.1k-192k (Coaxial), 44.1k-96k (Toslink)
Frequency Response: 20Hz-20kHz +/- 0.1db
THD: <.03% 20Hz-20kHz
Output Level: 2.25vRMS (Single-ended), 4.5vRMS (Balanced)
Dimensions: 4.40"w x 2.65"h x 4.40"d
